Sundays, Mondays, and every other day.

Okay, so I guess it's time for a blog update. A couple of interesting things have happened in the last two weeks. I was adopted by a Korean lady and I walked into the middle of the Yellow Sea.
Getting adopted happened first, so I will start with that.
There is a Catholic church 5 mins walking distance from my house. Awesome. I love it. The priest speaks a little bit of English, and is really sweet. He can hear my confession in English and give me a pennance in English (Something I was definitely not expecting, but so pleasantly surprised to find.) and he also says "The body of Christ" in English whenever I come up for communion. Sometimes he starts to say it in Korean, (because he's looking at peoples hands, not faces since they recieve it in the hand) then when my hands are still folded he looks up and realizes that it's me and he gets a little startled and immediately switches to English. It's really cute.
                    Anyway, so two Sundays ago I went to the 10:30am mass and as I was walking in, I noticed that there were tables set up outside across from the church. I didn't think anything of it and just went inside.
The 10:30 is usually full, but this time it was packed. I am usually a few minutes early, so I always can get a seat, but today I was a few mins late and there was nowhere but the crying room (which was full of kids/teenagers in pink windbreakers, so I wasn't about go in there. I think they were a down syndrome group or something because a few of them were down syndrome and the rest were a little strange looking)
I was just going to stand in the back, when an old lady (Ajumma) waved me over and made room next to her and her husband.
When mass was about to finish, and father was giving the last little announcements before the actual closing of mass, Ajumma turned to me asked me if I had eaten (I thought) When I shook my head no she looked a little offended and asked why.
I guessed that she hadn't asked if I had eaten, and I didn't want to offend her anymore, so  just stared at her and hoped that she would either just give it up and leave, or get the message that I really had no idea what she was saying.
She tried again, in a more persuasive voice and this time I cought the words 가치 먹자.  I finally realized that she had been asking me to eat together with her (Ka chi mok ja means "eat together") No wonder she looked offended when I said no the first time! I can't believe I said no to an ajumma! 
Let me give you a little information about ajumma's. My friend and fellow TaLK scholar Kyla, gave the most accurate and hilarious description ever, so I will quote directly from her blog (which is really interesting, so if you want to read it then go to the link at the bottom of this post):
Ajummas: "Old Korean women who rule the Korean world, basically. The thing about ajumas is they don't speak English because they're part of the older generation when it wasn't importnat to know English. [My interjection: it wasn't important because they were all being forced to learn Japanese and had enough problems to worry about]They are also usually pretty unfriendly (and mean) and don't really have to follow any rules. If they want to cut you in line at the store or while you're buying a ticket for the bus, you can't do anything about it. If they want your seat on the bus, you better get up. If you're talking too loudly, they'll shush you without hesitation. If your bus window is open and they wish it wasn't, they have no problem acting like you're not even there, reaching over you and closing the window."
Old Korean women that rule the Korean world is the most accurate thing ever said about an ajumma.
But, really, while a lot of ajummas are like this, a lot are not and its possible to run into some very kind old ladies as well. Koreans are also very particular when it comes to eating, so no matter if the ajumma is nice or mean, you better say yes if they want to feed you.
                  Anyway, as soon as I nodded "Okay" to the ajumma, she grabs my hand and smiles happily until mass is officially over. I was hoping that the tables outside meant a church lunch and that is what she was referring to. and that she wasn't asking me to come to her house and eat. I was feeling really apprehensive, but everything was fine. The tables outside were indeed for a church potluck and everyone went over after mass.
Okay, first of all, lets refer back to Kyla's description of ajummas. Its true, nice or mean, they will push you out of thier way if they want something. They will cut you in line, they will push you out of the way so they can get on the bus, and they will definitely trample you if there is a sale in the market.
So, imagine fifty ajummas and fifty other people at a potluck. You'd think they were going to run out of food or something! The ajummas of course cut everyone in line, and were constantly cutting infront of eachother, all the while loudly talking (not sure if they were angry or just loud...my guess it just loud.)
                   My ajumma had a vice grip on my arm and was shoving me towards the food, inbetween poeple and around other ajummas. It was insane. I've never seen such rude and uncouth behavior at a potluck. The atmosephere was like "hurry and get all the stuff you can before everyone else can get anything!" It would have been really amusing if I had just been able to watch, but since I was being shoved in the middle of it, it was much less amusing.
And if that wasn't bad enough, the food was rediculous. (Fr. Remiski's worst nightmare would be a Korean potluck) The people serving the food were using thier hands (some had plastic gloves on, while others...I'm not so sure they had gloves but I can remember for sure...) and they kept piling unappetizing looking food on top of unappetizing looking foodr onto my plate, even when I didn't want it. I had no idea how I was going to eat it all...I couldn't even find my rice by the time I got to the end of the line. The food was not potluck food, meaning, not convenient to eat. At all.
We had flimsy chopsticks and no spoon for the soup. The food was already difficulut to pick up as it was, so flimsy chopsticks made it even worse.
I really didn't like some of the things on top, but I had no where to put them so I could get to the things on the bottom, so I just ate everything. It was free at least.  Some of it just made me want to puke, thats all.
Aaaaannnndddd, to top it all off, the drink section consisted of hot water, instant coffee and tea, and beer and soju.
I had coffee. But all the ajusshis (old Korean men) were drinking beer and soju. At 11:30 in the morning. Bleh.
                               Anyway, so of course ajumma and her husband don't speak English, and my Korean is very limited, so while we were able to communicate a little, I finally had to break out the translator on my cellphone (of which ajumma somehow confused me into giving her my number and said she would call me...uh...how thats going to work out, I don't know yet.)
Anyway, she said something about singing and I thought for one horrifying moment that she wanted to go to a norebang (a karaoke room) togther, so I used the translator on my phone to tell her that I had to go home to prepare for my class tomorrow (which was true) but of course, being an ajumma, she kept asking me to come, so I did. But, to my overwhelmingly great relief, she didn't want to go to a norebang, she wanted me to attend the events happening at church. It turns out that it was the 10th anniversary for the church so that is why they had the potluck, and they were going to have singing and dancing performances and a raffle. I stayed for about an hour and ahalf and then had to go because I was meeting a friend later that day. The performances that I saw were interesting, and amusing...but not great. I really don't like super traditional Korean music that much...it reminds me of the highpitched whiny singing of the Beijing opera, and I can't stand it.
Anyway, throughout this entire time the ajumma kept asking me about myself, and about my family and then said that since I am alone here in Korea, she wants me to be her daughter. She said it like, five times. She was so sweet. Then she told me she had a son that was single (but, not in a "i have a single sooooon!!!" way) but, guessing her and her husbands age to be about 65, I am gonna say that her son is at least 38 or 40..so, if by any chance she is thinking anything of that sort, its definitely never going to happen.
So, I think I've said enough for one post. I'll tell you about the Sea Festival next time, and post pictures!
The weather is sunny and warm on this side of the world, how is it over there?
Laters!
~TWGA

*Here's the link to Kyla's blog: http://kylaingunsan.blogspot.kr/2013/04/korean-quirks-vol-iii.html